Friends.

"One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world."

--President Uchtdorf

         Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every person you meet has potential to be a friend. Friends believe in you: in your capacity to do great things. But, it all starts inside. It grows and develops with each precious moment of your life.

         I so often think to myself, ”Who am I to try? Who am I to be intelligent, stunning, clever, or remarkable?” I then must remind myself, “It’s my duty to try. It’s up to me to decide what to be. I was born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within me.” When you shine, you automatically liberate others to follow suit.

         Believe in yourself. Believe in your potential. Believe in your capabilities to do great and amazing things. Believe that a miracle lies within your spirit, within your heart.  Believe in the aptitude you carry inside to be nothing short of astonishing.

(STRENTH OF YOUTH PG 13)

         As a human, it’s your responsibility to love others. Not judge them. We walk this life together, continually finding a new part of ourselves we hadn’t grasped; losing our way and finding it again. I don't know where your road will take you, but one thing I know: the only ones among us who will be truly happy are those who will have sought and found how to love.

         If I sincerely tell someone I believe in them, they have that assurance to lean on when they’re unsure if they can believe in themselves. Encourage those around you to try their very best and lift them to higher ground.

       As a human race, we face challenges together that take a world to solve. Sometimes the burden seems unbearable. Offer your hugs freely.  Your listening ear and quiet sustaining vote may be the answer to someone’s prayer. 

         When you have a friend, you have reason to believe you are good enough. When you are a friend, you give others a chance to believe in themselves.

         There is someone that will come into your life. They will need your help to get to where they’re going. If you’re not careful, you can miss your cue, and kill the chance. There is so much to live for, and so much to die for. Live for the moments you’re meant to experience.

Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

         At this amazing time of year, as the holiday season approaches, let’s not forget to love. Be grateful for those who have made you better.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity; it can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, and a stranger to a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision of tomorrow.”

         Every moment you spend with someone takes a piece of their life, and gives them a piece of yours. The moment is precious. You can make it memorable, and worth the time, that changes you both forever, or it could be a moment that you regret for the rest of your life. There is so much you can do for others. Each person you meet is another opportunity to change the world.  Make sure that you’re on cue. Make sure that each moment is precious. You’ll make mistakes, but the messed up moment can be exchanged for a beautiful moment of apology.

         Content and contention have the same beginnings. Oppression and impression have a lasting effect. People change people. Negative things make a positive change in the person who knows how to love. Friends are a support system that last through the good and the bad.

Life As A Cake

A little boy is telling his Grandma how everything is going wrong — school, family problems, severe health problems, etc.

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks the child if he would like a snack, which of course he does.

"Here. Have some cooking oil."

"Yuck," says the boy.

"How about a couple of raw eggs?"

"Gross, Grandma."

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all yucky!"

To which the Grandma replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!